Page 14 of The Alpha's Heart

I thought that would be in a little more than two weeks. I was under the impression that we would have the packwide celebration on the night of the full moon, then finish the Luna Ceremony in private after. It didn’t bother me that there hasn’t been much planning of the pack’s part in our ceremony. I figuredthe Alpha would have a simple affair, then do the claiming just to get it over with.

And that’s when one of the maternal gammas—a retired elder named Catherine who introduces herself as the head of Hickory’s planning committee—approaches our table at dinner and asks Bishop if she should expect to begin arranging the Luna Ceremony this moon.

Beneath his beard, his jaw goes tight. His dark gold eyes glance toward me. I’m sitting opposite him, eating the plate that one of the juvenile pups served especially for me, and this is the first time he’s looked at me since he started his own meal.

It’s only a fleeting glimpse. Nowhere near enough for his stare to trigger my wolf’s flight or fight instincts, and I’m just thinking that I’m getting better at withstanding his alpha nature when he clears his throat, then says, “This moon. Next Luna. We’re not in any rush.”

My stomach sinks.

Not in any rush… that’s news to me.

CHAPTER 6

REJECTION

Kendall said Bishop expected his fated mate to bond with him during the upcoming full moon. I’m his fated mate. He should find it difficult to have any distance from me. I thought he did, considering the big male refuses to sleep next to me but can’t bring himself to leave our room either. If I’m willing—and me being here makes it clear that I am—then he should want to finalize our mate bond as soon as possible.

But if he wants to wait… I don’t know if it’s because he thinksIwant to, or he’s being a real Alpha, making decisions on behalf of both of us since Alpha’s always know best. It doesn’t matter. The faint rejection washing over me stings.

I cover it up with a small smile, saying nothing as Catherine finishes the conversation before walking away and joining a different table. Bishop seems oblivious to how his answer has affected me. He’s returned his attention to his plate, and I swallow the uneasy lump in my throat while spearing a piece of meat on my fork.

We eat in silence. I thought it was uncomfortable at first, but that was before I realized that Bishop… he just really likes to stay quiet. It’s not that he doesn’t have anything to say to me. Givenhis way, the big Alpha wouldn’t waste words talking to anyone. I noticed that during our time in the den. If a grunt or a scowl or a nod is enough to answer a packmate’s question, that’s good with Bishop.

That doesn’t mean he’s always silent. As though he’s trying his best to make me feel at home in his pack, we’ve had a few conversations in private. The key word, of course, beingprivate. When his pack is watching, he plays the part of the perfect Alpha: commanding their attention with little more than a look and the way he holds his big body. When we’re alone and he can be Bishop instead of just the Sylvan Pack’s Alpha, I learn more about what he chooses to see than I do with the stifled emotions traveling down our bond.

Because, Luna knows, I’m not the only one trying to hide the extent of just how I’m feeling during our awkward mating dance.

I can’t read Bishop. Every now and then, a flicker of an emotion reaches me, but it’s gone before I can clutch it between my wolf’s paws. He’s so stone-faced most of the time, I don’t know what he’s thinking. Ever since he called me out rightfully for lying to him before rejecting my half-hearted advances, it’s as if he’s accepted that any mating we’ll have will be more a business arrangement than any kind of love match.

I just… I think I was really hoping that the Luna got it right and that Bishop could be mine.

Rocks settle in my stomach. Everything feels so very heavy all of a sudden, and I can’t bring myself to eat another bite of food.

Bishop, oblivious—or simply uncaring—returns to scarfing down the rest of his own meal.

He’s nearly done when, out of nowhere, Helene comes marching over to our table.

As the Alpha, Bishop’s unofficially assigned table in the outdoor seating area is positioned near the center. That way he’s in sight of all packmates that need to feel their Alpha’sdominance brushing up against their fur. He’s a visible reminder that they’re protected, and since each meal is served in his name, they’re also well-fed.

I’m sure, before I came to Hickory, he didn’t take every meal out here. Kendall often ate in the communal hall for the same reasons that Bishop eats outside, but there were times when he needed to retreat to the privacy of his cabin. Bishop’s gotta be the same, but he’s been very careful to show me off while also keeping me close. Apart from the pack circle, the Alpha’s cabin, and the parts of Hickory I saw when I first arrived, he’s allowed the pack to get used to me without allowing me the same opportunity to explore.

I get it. I do. It’s his protective instincts at work, and once we’re bonded, it won’t be as bad. But if that’s so, why does he want to wait?

And why does the understanding that itishis duty and his instincts ruling him hurt more than I thought it would?

A lump lodges in my throat. I swallow it roughly, chasing it with a sip from my glass of water as Helene weaves through the tables, .

Bishop finishes his steak, unaware that his sister has him in sights. Well, no. Probable not unaware. An Alpha’s senses are unrivaled, so he has to know she’s coming—but he just scoops up some mashed potatoes right as she parks herself by our table, laying her hand on Bishop’s forearm..

“Sofia,” Helene says in a warm voice that matches the earnestness written on her pretty face. “Hi. Can I borrow my idiot brother for a second?”

Bishop growls softly, letting his fork and knife fall to his plate with aclink. “An idiot I may be, but I’m still your Alpha. So maybe watch it, yeah?”

The young blonde pats his bicep with one hand while clinging to his muscular forearm with the other. “You were my bigbrother first, Bishop. And if you want to play the hierarchy game, I’m the Omega.”

“You’re still only sixteen, canari?—”

“And that doesn’t mean anything if you promoted me to the pack Omega,” Helene retorts, never losing her inviting smile. Even as she teases her older brother, her soothing nature does something to the jealousy roiling my guts. Good thing, too. That’s herbrother, and I can’t stop wanting to use my claws to remove Helene’s fingers from Bishop’s arms.

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